A New Hero
by Silver Wolf1
Summary: It's something a little different.


Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I haven't posted in a while. Give me a break, will-ya! I know this is a **_LITTLE _**different from what I normally write. I wrote this for my niece. Some characters are original, some aren't. Those belong to DC Comics. Anyway, I hope you like the story. Email any and all comments (even burns) to

Now on with the story.

**A New Hero**

By Silver Wolf

**Chapter 1**

Lightning flashed across the skies above Gotham City. A much needed rain fell quietly on the streets as residence fled inside buildings. This was the kind of night that you stayed home with a good book. But not for the two men behind a jewelry shop. "How long do we have before the cops arrive?" a man in a ski mask asked in a hushed tone. A loud explosion has heard in the distance a second before the other man replied, "Long enough to clean this place out."

"Did you factor me into that equation?" a voice from behind them asked. The two men turned around and one of them drew a gun from inside his jacket. "Where are you?" one of them shouted. They looked up and froze.  Lightning flashed to reveal a shadowy figure resembling a bat was perched on the fire escape across the alley. 

Before either could react, the figure threw something as it leaped into the air. The object smacked the masked man's wrist causing him to drop his gun. He let out a yelp of pain a split second before a pair of high-healed boots slammed into his chest. With a dull thud, the man hit the wall and slid to the ground unconscious. The other went to draw his pistol but was also knocked out by a well placed roundhouse kick to his head.

The figure quickly subdued the two would-be burglars.  Suddenly the figure sneezed." Great, I'm getting a cold," the figure coughed in disgust. A low beep was heard before a voice said, "That's what you get for going out on a night like this, young lady." "Bite me," the girl said pulling her cape around her. "Sorry, but I'm taken. And besides, you have a busy day tomorrow," the voice retaliated.

"Don't remind me," the girl said as she drew a small device from her belt and fired a line at the rooftops. One of the crooks opened his eyes long enough to watch what looked like a six foot tall bat fly away.  It wasn't until the girl was two blocks away before she got out of the rain. _Man, I'm soaked, _she thought trying to wring out her cape.  "I've contacted the police about the crooks and they are heading that way now," the voice said.

"Ok. I'll be home in a few minutes," she said. "I'll have dinner and a clean change of clothes ready when you get here," he replied before ending transmission. "Thanks, Alfred," she said smiling. She made her way down the fire escape and slipped inside a black car. The base design was that of a Lamborghini but was more streamlined with a pair of fins on top of the car. The windows were tinted so no one knew if someone was inside.

"Home," was all she said as she pulled her mask off. A low hum was heard as the car began to move. The fins retracted before turning onto the main road. _That's two more off the street dad_, she thought as the car silently moved along the streets towards Wayne manor. 

**Chapter 2**

A silver Royals Royce moved with the flow of traffic the next morning. It was normal to see the limo as it headed to Wayne Tower. The man driving was in his late sixties. His appearance was always cleans and tidy. "Do you have the paper work for the Orion Project?" he asked turning onto 5th Avenue. "I made sure it was in my briefcase before I left, Alfred," said a female voice from the back seat.

"Very well, Miss Cassandra," he replied pulling to a stop in front of a forty building. A man wearing black trousers and a red doormen's hat and jacket trimmed in gold walked over to the car and held the passenger door as he said, "Good morning and happy 19th birthday, Miss Wayne." A young lady wearing a business suit carrying a briefcase and a box of donuts stepped out of the car. Her long auburn hair was pulled back into a French braid and her skirt stopped just above her knees. "Thank you Michael and good morning to you too," she said with a smile.

He shut the limo door and quickly moved to open the front door saying, "Welcome to Wayne Tower." She walked inside and made her way to the elevators. "Good Morning, Joe," she said placing the donuts on the security desk as she passed. "Morning Ms. Wayne, and happy birthday,' he said as she walked passed. She quickly slipped inside an empty elevator and sighed.

Cassandra pushed the button for the top floor as a young man stepped in. His appearance was less then professional being a business jacket with blue jeans and a white shirt. His blonde hair needed a comb and his one shoe was untied. "Which floor?" Cassandra asked. _Wow, you're hot, she _thought. "Which ever floor Miss Wayne's office is, I guess. I'm her 9 o'clock and I'm running late," he said in a rush.

"It's ok. She doesn't normally show up until ten,' Cassandra said trying to get the man to relax. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Oh good. That gives me some time to freshen up. I'm Rob by the way. Rob Quinn." "I'm Cassie," Cassandra said holding out her hand. Rob shook her hand and smiled. "Sorry about my appearance. I kind of _flew_ in this morning," he said as the elevator came to a stop.

"No prob. You can freshen up in my office if you like," Cassie said as they stepped out of the elevator. "Thanks. Are you sure you won't get in trouble?" Rob asked. Cassie reassured him she wouldn't as they walked into her office. "Believe it or not, Rob, I'm the one that should apologize," Cassie said kicking off her heels. Before he could ask why, they door opened and a gentleman carrying a PDA walked in saying, "Everyone of your meetings asked to reschedule except your 9 o'clock which hasn't gotten here yet, Miss Wayne."

Cassie straddled Rob's lap like they were lovers and whispered, "Play along." Rob could only watch as Cassie said, "Your timing still sucks, David, now get out." David looked up from his PDA catching sight of Cassie sitting on Ryan's lap. "Oh! Well, yes. Then, um Sorry, ah..." swallowing quickly" I'll ah, just get with you later then. Ah. Yes. Later." David stammered as he left her office as quickly as possible. Cassie busted out laughing as she got up and sat one her desk. "You're Miss Wayne?" Rob asked after a few seconds.

Cassie wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Cassandra Wayne, at your service and in your debt. Thank you for helping me getting that stuffed shirt, he has been asking for that for years."  He sat there puzzled. "I-I don't understand," he said. Cassandra smiled saying "That jerk has gotten me for the past three years on my birthday." "You're kidding?" Rob asked. "No, I'm not. He crossed the line last year when he told three female strippers I was gay and liked it rough," Cassandra replied. "Oh, you're welcome then," he said smiling.

Cassandra quickly checked to see if anyone had rescheduled then said, "I guess he was wrong about one appointment this year. So, what do you want to talk about?" Rob cleared his throat and said, "I'm here to do an interview for the Daily planet, Miss Wayne." "First off, it's either Cassie or Cassandra. Secondly, how old are you?" she asked. "I just turned 18 today, Miss Wayne- I mean, Cassie," he answered. "Good answer and happy birthday," she said hoping off her desk. "Thank you," he said watching her walk behind her desk. "So?" she asked.

"So, what?" he asked carefully. "What's your first question, Mr. Quinn?" she replied sitting down. "Oh, uh-um H-How are you related to Bruce Wayne?" he asked turning red. _Ok, the boss dies when I get back,_ Rob thought as he pulled a pad of paper and a pen out of his jacket. Cassie took a deep breath then said, "When Mr. Wayne was in his forties, he had a relationship with my mom and things got personal."

"How personal?" he asked making sure he was getting the story down. "The phrase 'what happens in Vegas' goes here," she replied. "Oh. Did they stay in touch?" he asked after a few seconds. Cassie shook her head, "It wasn't until I turned fifteen when he found out about me. Trust me; never show up on the doorstep of a billionaire saying that you're their kid unless you have proof."

"I know the feeling," he muttered to himself. Cassie looked at him a little puzzled then asked, "What do you mean Rob?" He chuckled a bit then said, "My dad is Oliver Quinn, owner of Quinn Industries."  "You're kidding?" she asked surprised, "I was supposed to meet with him today about the Orion Project." "Really?" he asked curiously.

She nodded saying, "It's gone over budget and my dad never like weapons." "In that case, I'll let you two figure it out," he said holding his hands up, "I refuse to deal with company politics." _Lucky you,_ she thought. "Why don't you?" she asked, her curiosity growing.  "It's a long and boring story. So, why is a beautiful lady like you running a multi-billion dollar company instead of having fun?" he asked after a few seconds. "Answer my question and I'll answer yours," she responded.

He looked at her for a few seconds and realized he was fighting a losing battle. "My dad and I don't see eye to eye about projects. That's why," he said with a sigh. "Mine died in a skiing accident six months after he found out about me," she said quietly. "What's your favorite color?" he asked after a few minutes. "They're pink, blue, and silver. You hungry?" she replied.

Rob looked at his watch and said, "I could eat, why?" Cassie slipped her heels back on saying, "Good, because I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat and finish our talk. How does Chinese sound? And anyway, I don't know about you, but I don't like to eat alone on my birthday."  Chuckling, Rob stood "Lead on Macbeth. I love Chinese."  "If you don't mind, I've wanted to drive the Camero in the private garage since it arrived yesterday," she said pushing a button. A pair of black onyx colored door slide open and they stepped into the waiting elevator chair.

**Chapter 3**

"So, why take over your dad's company?" Rob asked as they walked out of the restaurant. Cassie shrugged saying, "I guess I wanted to know more about him. Mom never talked about him while I was growing up." "Makes sense, who better to learn about your dad then from the people who worked for him. What does you mom think about this?" he asked as they entered the park. "My mom lost her fight with cancer two weeks before my fifteenth birthday," she said.

"I'm sorry," he replied. An uneasy silence took over the conversation as the walked towards the fountain. "Alfred helped me figure out what to do and has been very supportive about me taking over Wayne Enterprises," Cassie said after a few minutes, "Originally, he wanted me to finish school but dropped the subject when he found out I graduated from college at 14." Rob stopped in mid step and looked at her as he asked, "You're serious?" "I have a 158 IQ," she replied sitting on a bench.

"Wow," he said sitting next to her. "Yeah, not bad for a girl for a girl with a Bachelors Degree in business and law enforcement," she said watching the fountain. "Mind if I ask what you mom did for a living?" he asked. Cassie slowly got to her feet after a few minutes saying, "Unfortunately Rob, that's one question I won't answer. Besides I do need to get back." "Fair enough and I need to get this typed up. I'll send you a copy to ok for print," he said standing.

"Can I give you a lift somewhere?" she asked as they started to leave the park. "No, it's ok. My hotel is a block from here in the other direction from Wayne Tower," he said. Rob walked her back to her car and said, "Hope you have a happy birthday, Miss Wayne. And I'll see you later." Then he kissed her hand before walking away. Cassie stood there for a few seconds smiling then slowly got into her car.

_What a gentleman,_ she thought as her phone started ringing. She pushed the speaker button on her phone then said, "Hello." "Sorry to bother you Miss Wayne, but the Tech lab is refusing to build Orion Project," a voice said on the other end. With a sigh, Cassie started the camero and said, "I'm on my way." She returned to Wayne Tower and parked the car in the garage.

"Now what's wrong?" she wondered as she made her way to the tech lab. Upon arriving at the lab Cassie discovered that apparently the electricity had gone out.  "What's going on Kris?" she called entering the lab, "Kris? Kris, where are you? Is everything alright?" "We're fine, Cassie," a male voice called out of the darkness. "Thank goodness. Now would someone please get the lights back on?" Cassie asked.

Suddenly the lights came on and everyone yelled "Happy Birthday Cassie!"  For the next hour Cassie laughed and talked with her friends in the lab.  As the party wound down and they drifted back to their desks Cassie sat next to a young man talking quietly. "We need to discuss a few things about the Orion Project Cass.''

"Alright, Kris what has you in such deep thought?"

"One, building an electromagnetic catapult to send a space shuttle to Mars is good and stupid at the same time."

"You found the flaw?" Cassie asked. "Apparently if the catapult is used, the backlash effect is an EMP strong enough to take out every electronic device on earth," he replied.

She sat on empty stool thinking. Slowly she remarked, "That sucks. What's number two?"  "Secondly, I got you something," he said handing her a small wrapped box. "You didn't have to," she said as she took the box and began to unwrap it. He shrugged as he said, "I know. I hope you like it." She lifted the lid and let out a small gasp.

Inside the box was a small locket with a bat etched on it. "Kris, this is beautiful. Thank you," she said before giving him a hug. "Y-you're welcome," he said turning red. "Could you help me put it on?" she asked. "S-sure," he stammered. Cassie placed the box on the table and turned so her back was to her friend.

_Careful_, he thought as he picked up the locket. "Where did you find this?" she asked moving her hair out of his way. "I-I made it," he said slipping the lockets chain around her neck, "You look great today." "Thanks," she replied, her cheeks turning pink. He fumbled with the latch for a few seconds then said, "Got it."

Almost as if on cue, her cell started ringing. Cassie sighed as she pulled her phone out. "I'm sorry Kris, I have to take this," she said. "Don't worry about it, Cass. The real world beckons and I need to get back to work anyway," he said. "Alright, I'll talk to you later then," she said before leaving the lab.

_Nice timing dickhead_, she thought checking the caller ID. Cassie stopped in mid-step. The caller ID was reading unknown. She let it go to voice mail. One thing she had learned was never answer an unknown call.

**Chapter 4**

The clock in the Wayne Tech lab read 11:56 p.m. before Kris stopped working. Like most nights, he had gotten wrapped up in a project and lost track of time. Minus security, he was the only one there. "Go home, Kris," a guard as he passed him. Kris rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he said, "Planned on it Steve."

He put his equipment away and clocked out. _I have to stop doing this, _he thought heading to his car. The Orion Project had sparked an interest that seemed child like. It wasn't the concept of space travel that was the interest, it was the EMP backlash. If it was left alone, the planet would be thrown back into the dark ages.

So far, he had found a way to neutralize the effect in theory. It basically meant placing a specially designed shield at one the end of the catapult. He had just reached his car when a strange van pulled up behind him. Its doors slid open and a pair of hands grabbed his jacket. "You're coming with us," a gruff voice said as they started to pull him inside.

Kris leaned forward and slid out of his jacket. _Crap_, was his last thought before he banged his head on the door of his car. When he came to later to find an EMT was leaning over him asking something. "Are you ok?" the medic asked checking his eyes. "Plus or minus one dozy of a headache?" Kris joked weakly.

He barely touched his head and flinched in pain. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes starting to focus. "Somebody must like you Mr. Wolf to save your hide," a familiar voice said. "Shut up Barbara, and just tell me what happened. All I remember was some guy trying to grab me," he said as he got to his feet. "I was hoping you could tell us," she replied pointing at a lamp post.

The police were loading four men into the back of a paddy wagon; each man was in their underwear and with their hands cuffed between their legs. "Do you recognize any of the?" she asked after a few seconds. Kris stood there for a few seconds then said, "The big one is the one who grabbed me." He leaned against his car as his head started to hurt. _How in the world did…_ he began to think when a silver Royals pulled into the Wayne tech lot.

"Did you tell her yet?" Barbara asked as the driver got out and held the back door open. Cassie got out and quickly walked over to Kris. "Are you ok?" she asked reaching him. "Your friend is very lucky Ms. Wayne," Barbara stated, "Apparently four thugs tried to grab Mr. Wolf there and someone saved him. With luck, the security cameras got the incident on tape." "I'll send the tape over in the morning, Office Gordon. I'll make sure he gets home," Cassie said.

"Make sure he gets some time off. He's got a dozy of a concussion," the EMT said before he walked away. "I will, thank you," Cassie said and helped Kris to her Royals. "I called Mr. Maxwell to notify him that Kris will be taking a couple of weeks off because of what's happened," Alfred said as they reached the limo. Kris slowly got in the car as he said, "Thanks Alfred." Cassie slipped in beside him and waited until the door was closed before asking, "When are you going to stop working late?"

"Excuse me for finding a solution to the Orion project," he replied. She looked at him saying, "I don't care about Orion or any other project we're working on. You have to stop pushing yourself." He slowly looked at her and said, "Has anyone ever told you, you're beautiful when you're worried?" "T-that's not the p-point," she stammered turning red. "Ok," he said before falling asleep. _The point is I love you, you dumbass, _she thought as watched him sleep.

**Chapter 5**

Kris awoke the next morning and slowly sat up. He looked around and realized he was home. "Thanks for the lift, Cass," he mumbled and rubbed his eyes. "You're welcome," she said as she walked into the room carrying a tray. He looked at Cassie as if she didn't belong there asking, "What are you doing here?"

She sat the tray on is lap saying, "It's more like what are _you _doing in _my _pool house? Your landlord kicked you out for not paying your rent. So, I had Alfred move your stuff here." "Ok, that answers one question. But, why did you do that?" he asked. "It's my way of saying thank you for helping me in high school," she said sitting on the bed. He nodded then pointed at the tray asking, "What's this?" "Breakfast,' she said, "Sausage links, eggs, bacon, toast and orange juice."

"Thank you," he said smiling then started eating. "You're welcome and Laura already knows you won't be in for the next two weeks," Cassie said standing up. He swallowed what was in his mouth and asked, "Why Laura?" "I promoted Laura after firing Maxwell because he has been pocketing half of your paycheck for the past three months," she said before kissing his cheek and walking out. A smile crossed his face as he watched her leave. _I knew I loved her for a reason,_ he thought before finishing his breakfast.

_I don't believe I just did that,_ Cassie thought leaving the pool house, her face red with embarrassment. She had known Kris since second grade and considered him like a brother. Yet, lately she'd been having very vivid dreams about him. Each dream was more explicit then the night before. The more she thought about it, the redder she got.

 "He's my best friend for carrying out loud!" she yelled entering the kitchen. "I know, but that doesn't mean you can't fall in love with him," Alfred said as he finished drying the dishes. Cassie stopped in mid-step and looked at him. "What?" she asked. He opened a cabinet and said, "You're in love with your best friend." "You are delusional, you know that?" she retorted then went to her room.

_But why can't I just tell him? _she thought entering her room, _It's not like we don't know each other. We've been friends for years. _ With a sigh, she stepped into the bathroom and began to get ready for work.

**Chapter 6**

The city was almost silent as the tower clock stuck 10:30 pm. Hardly anyone was out and the police scanner wasn't picking anything up. "Talk about boring," a young woman said as she looked out window. "Tell me about it," a voice from the shadows said. The woman turned to see a person wearing a mask. "Are you Batman?" the woman asked.

"No. Batgirl," the person said. "I'm Ashley," she replied, "Nice outfit." "It needs work, I know," Batgirl said. Her mask and cape was like the dark knights, midnight blue and designed to look like a bats head and wings. The suit itself was black and looked like it would fit a man better then a woman. The only things that seemed to match were her gloves and high-heeled boots which were the color of her cape.

"Looks like you've got something on your mind. Care to talk about it, girl to girl?" Ashley asked after a few minutes. Batgirl sighed then said, "A friend is trying to figure out how to tell her best friend she loves him." "How long have they known each other? If you don't mind me ask," Ashley said. "About ten years," Batgirl said looking towards Wayne Manor. "Sounds like your friend is afraid telling him will destroy their friendship," Ashley said after a few minutes.

"Exactly, but she needs to tell him," Batgirl replied. "Tell her to ask him out," Ashley said abruptly. "What?" Batgirl asked surprised. "Yeah, if he's not going to make a move then make one," Ashley explained. _ I can't do that, _Batgirl thought as she heard a siren.

"I got to go," Batgirl said before swinging away. She found the source of the siren to be a SWAT truck by the loading docks of Wayne Tech. _What are police doing here?_ she thought. The minutes seemed to crawl by before the officers came out carrying some large equipment. _Sorry boys, not tonight, _she thought smiling.

She leaped from her hiding spot and landed softly on the top of the truck two men walked out carrying a piece with writing on it. "Now what do you little boys want with a toy like that?' she said sarcastically. "Wouldn't you like to know?" one of the fake officers said drawing a gun. She quickly jumped and dropkicked him in the chest. "Kill her!" another man yelled as he started firing.

_Crap!_ In one fluid motion, she rolled out of the way and ducked behind a metal box. _Hope this works,_ she thought taking a silver colored bat-a-rang from her belt. She waited until the man paused to reload and threw it at the truck. A high-pitched screech emitted from the bat-a-rang as it hit the side of the van. _Wrong one, _she thought covering her ears.

"Get us out of here!" a man yelled seconds before the truck sped away. Batgirl started to get up but quickly dropped to her knees as the contents of her stomach came up without warning. _Note to self. NEVER use the silver ones, _she thought wiping her mouth as a car pulled up to the loading docks. She tried to stand but quickly fell as a voice said, "What the?" "A-ah crap," she whispered before blacking out.

**Chapter 7**

Batgirl rolled over as the sun light shone threw the window. _Stupid sun¸ _she thought. Her eyes snapped open when she realized what time it was. _Crap!_ She bolted up right and quickly wished she hadn't. _Not good. _She slowly laid back down as the room started to spin.

"What was that thing?" she thought aloud. "A sonic generator designed to shatter ice," a familiar voice said. She slowly looked towards the doorway as she said, "Who's there?" "My name's Kris," he said as he walked in, "I'm a friend." _Hello Kris. I'm Cassie, _she thought with a slight smile.

"Where am I and how did I get here?" she asked trying to sit up again. "This is the pool house at Wayne Manor," he said sitting in a chair, "I brought you here before the cops arrived at Wayne Labs last night." _My hero_, she thought. "Do you have any aspirin and where is my suit?" she inquired noticing she was wearing a t-shirt that said 'And your point is?'

He handed her two saying, "Here and I had to remove it to get a bullet out of your side." "I guess I owe you one," she said after downing the aspirin. "Not if you're the one who saved me two nights ago," he replied taking a try out of the room. "Do you know what got stolen?" she asked gently touching her side. He walked back into the room saying, "Yeah, Wayne Tech's half of the Orion Project."

"That's not good," she said. "Yes and no, actually," he corrected her. "What do you mean?" she asked. With a heavy sigh, he sat down in a chair saying, "The project is being built in two locations. Quinn Industries is assembling the electromagnet in space while Wayne labs was building the actual catapult part." She sat in thought for a second then said, "So, it's pretty much useless without the other half."

"In a sense, the device was designed to work with the Quinn Ind. part to get a space shuttle to Mars. I thought something was fishy when Maxwell said that Cass had approved a modification to the system," he said looking out a window. "What made you think she hadn't?" she asked placing her hands on the night stand. She started to get off the bed while Kris was saying, "Because Cass would never agree to a modification that could launch a full size nuke into the atmosphere."

"What!" she exclaimed. He looked at her and quickly walked over to her asking, "What do you think you're doing?" "I have to stop them," she replied trying to stand on shaky knees. "Not with a suit that doesn't fit, you're not," he said. Before she could protest, he scooped her up into his arms and sat her in a chair.

Batgirl was glad she had her mask to hide how red her face was. _Oh my._ "Then what do you suggest?" she asked trying to calm her heart. "How about something that will not only you can move in but that can take a hit," he said as he left the room. He was only gone for a few seconds before he walked back in carrying a piece of cloth. "A dish rag?" she asked not impressed.

Smiling like a kid in a candy story, he handed the cloth to her saying, "Try a special mixture of titanium, spandex, and silk. It's incredibly soft and lightweight, but when pulled tight it can stop a bullet from a fifty caliber rifle from two inches away." Batgirl slowly turned the fabric over in her hands. "Where did you get this?" she asked looking up at him. He chuckled saying, "Believe it or not, I made it. I was going to show Cass, but I don't think she'll like it." "How did you know that?" she asked.

He moved onto the bed and sighed. "Her assistant, David said that if I should consider my friendship with her over when I went to show her something last month," he said quietly. _That's it! David's fired! _"Why do you think she didn't authorize the modification?" she asked. "Because I saw David sign it and Maxwell call him Mr. Riddler," he said looking at her.

His blue eyes seemed to have lost that spark they normally had, the kind of spark of someone who refuses to give up. "You're in love with her, aren't you?" she asked. His face turned red as he quickly cleared his throat saying, "I can have a suit made for you in about twenty minutes." She smiled as she stood up saying, "Then let's get to work."

**Chapter 8**

A large black sedan pulled up in front of a warehouse being guarded by to men in black suits. One of the guards walked over as the back driver side window rolled down "How long before the catapult's ready?" a man in the car asked impatiently. He wore a dark green suit that had a black question mark on the back. "It should be ready in twenty minutes Mr. Riddler," the guard replied. 

"See that it gets done in ten," Riddler snapped before the car drove away. "The boss wants it down in ten minutes," the guard growled into his walkie-talkie as he walked    back to his post. "And it will only take five to kick your butts," a voice said from behind him. He quickly turned only to receive roundhouse to the side of his head. The guard feel to the ground unconscious with a dull thud. "Whose there?" the other guard called out.

"Two for the price of one," was all the guard heard before falling next to his companion.  _Got to remember to thank Kris when this is over, _Batgirl thought with a smile. The new suit had taken about an hour to make, but it was well worth it. Besides being light and comfortable, it was non-conductive, had a high heat tolerance, and it showed off her figure. It was metallic silver in color with a gold colored bat embroidered above her breast.

It wasn't just the suit that was new, it was the entire costume. The mask had been replaced with a special midnight blue helmet that held infrared, thermal, and night visions. The cape was made of the same material and still matched the gloves, boots and helmet in color, but had a new stealth feature. Her utility belt was now gold in color and gave her easier access to her equipment. She flipped her cape around her and smiled as she disappeared from sight.

Slipping quietly inside the building she smiled as she spotted her objective, the Orion Project.  "There you are," she whispered. It was close to being assembled yet it seemed like something was missing. "Are you sure you got all of it?" a man in a white coat asked. "Positive," a second man replied.  The man in the coat pointed at a monitor saying, "Then why does it keep asking for the access key?"

"That's not my problem, is it?" the other man said, "I was supposed to get it here, Daniels. You're the genius who is supposed to get it to work."  The man in the white coat gave the second man a nasty look then turned to glare at the computer screen. "You know gentleman, not having the access key is the least of your problems," a voice from behind them said. The two men turned only to find no one there. "Something's not right," the one man said as he drew his gun

"Would you believe this building is haunted?" the voice said before the lights went out. "What's going on?" Daniels called out as the sounds of a fight could be heard all through out the warehouse. When the lights finally came back on, Daniels gasped as saw all the Riddler's men unconscious and tied up. He reached down to pick up a gun when he heard a voice say, "Nap time." His eyes snapped up to see a bat starring at him.

Before he could even blink, Batgirl delivered a quick kick to the side of his head knocking him out. _I even have five seconds to spare,_ she thought as she tied Daniels up with the others. She walked over to the Orion Project and checked the monitor. All that was need to activate launch procedures was to insert the access key, but not for what she had planned. She quickly entered a new code sequence and pressed enter.

_That should do it_, she thought as the sound of sirens grew closer. She fired a grappler line at the ceiling and quickly rose to the rafters.

**Chapter 9**

The doormen smiled as the silver Royals pulled up in front of Wayne Towers the next morning. He held the back door open saying, "Good Morning Ms -Wow, You look great this morning, Ms. Wayne." Cassie smile as she got out saying, "Thank you Michael and Good Morning to you too." She wore a denim jacket over a black dress that stopped above her knees and flowed with her as she moved. The dress showed off a modest amount of cleavage and the inch and a half heels she wore complemented her long legs.

"Welcome to Wayne Tower," he said just making it to the front door. She walked into the building as she heard Michael mumble, "Only if I wasn't married." Good morning M-s. Wayne. You seem happy this morning," Joe asked as she passed the security desk. "Good morning Joe," she said smiling. She walked to the elevators and sighed.

As she waited for the next available elevator, she overheard to interns talking about the recovered Orion Project. "The police believe the Bat was why the project was a pile molten scrap," the girl said. She was about 5'7 and had blue green eyes. A box containing a few photos was in her arms. The other was male and stood about 6'5.

He let out a snort of discuss saying, "Yeah, and it's because of that loser that we have to rebuild it." "Actually, we're scrapping the whole project," Cassie said. He looked at her asking, "What moron told you that?" She slowly turned and looked him in the eyes saying, "It's more like this _moron_ is telling you." The man quickly apologized and went to a different elevator.

Cassie shifted her gaze to the girl and smiled. "You new?" she asked. "Uh...Y-yeah, I'm Miss Wayne's new secretary," the girl replied, "My name's Kara Kent. Are you his boss?" Cassie smiled as the elevator doors opened. "You could say that," she said as they stepped inside.

Cassie pushed the button for the top floor as Kris quickly stepped in. "Morning," he said quietly. "Hi," Kara said as the elevator started moving. The ride up was quiet accept for the music. "Can't they get something decent to play in these things?" Kara asked as the elevator came to a stop.

They stepped out as Kris joked, "That would mean admitting that the people who work here are human." Cassie laughed as she walked over to a desk sitting next to a pair of double doors. "This is your desk, Kara. I hope you enjoy working here and so you know, I'm Cassandra Wayne. Kris my office, now," she said opening the doors. He walked inside as Kara slowly put her stuff on the desk. "For your first assignment, let me know when it ten o'clock. I'm expecting someone," Cassie said before she closed the door to her office.

Kris stood next to her desk with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Mind telling me why you had the Orion Project scrapped?" he asked trying to keep his temper. She walked over to him and saying, "The police discovered twelve nuclear missiles that were stolen from a military base with Orion." "You're kidding?" he asked. "I wish I was," she replied and sat on her desk, crossing her legs.

"That's all I wanted to know," he said holding out an envelope. "What's that?" she asked looking at it. "My resignation," he said," I can't do this any more Cass." She looked up into his eyes as she asked, "Do what Kris?" "Build stuff that can be used to hurt people, watching some idiot take the credit created for something I made," he began, "David has been doing this to everyone in the Tech division."

"Considering that David was arrested earlier this morning for stealing the Orion, that won't be a problem anymore," she said smiling. "That's all well and good Cass, but I'm still quitting. I've been offered a job at Quinn Industries," he said laying the envelope on her desk. He started walking towards the door when she sighed and said, "Even after I decided to given you a promotion, with fringe benefits?" He stopped in mid-step and slowly looked at her. "What?" he asked not believing what he heard.

She hopped off her desk saying, "The lab needs someone that knows what he's doing. It means double your salary and your own lab." He stood there in shock as what she just said finally registered. "Are you serious?" he asked. She nodded saying, "I asked around the lab and they said you are the best person qualified for the job." He walked over and sat in a chair, his mind racing as ideas started to come to him.

"No," he said shaking his head. "Why not?" she yelled. He slowly closed his eyes as he whispered, "Because I love you." Cassie covered with mouth as she thought, _He loves me?_ He let out a long sigh as he continued, "I've always loved you. Ever since second grade when we first meet. It's just that I know you don't think of me as your friend any…"

His words were cut off as Cassie pressed a finger to his lips and said, "I love you too, you idiot." Before she could say anything more, he pressed his lips to hers giving her a kiss that held all the love he had for her. Her mind seemed to shut down as she slowly returned the kiss, her arms slipping around his neck. When he finally broke the kiss, she was sitting on his lap with his arms around her waist. "Wow," she whispered. He kissed her again and remarked, "You can say that again."

"So, now what?" she asked, her mind not wanting to function. A knock on the door slowly brought their attention back to the real world. "Uh, excuse me Ms. Wayne, but you told me to let you know when it was ten o'clock, remember?" Kara said as she opened the door. "Yes, thank you Kara," Cassie said as she stood up. Kara entered Cassie's office cautiously saying, "Um, please don't be mad Ms. Wayne, but it's a quarter after eleven."

Cassie looked at the clock then at Kara asking, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" "You were kind of busy," Kara said glancing at Kris. Cassie's turned beet red as she sat at her desk._ Oh my god,_ she thought trying to hide her face. "You mean?" Cassie asked quietly.

"Since a quarter after nine," Kara said nervously. Kris looked at Kara and asked, "Your last name is Kent, right, as in Clark Kent?" She looked at him and said, "Yes sir. He's my cousin." "He's a good reporter, and thanks for letting us know Kara," he said smiling. "I'm not going to get fired, I am?" she asked nervously.

"I'll make sure she won't," he reassured her. Kara smiled and closed the door as she left the office. He walked over to Cassie and said, "She's a cute kid." "I should have stayed in bed," Cassie said into her desk. "Considering how late you were probably up last night, _Batgirl,_ I'm glad you didn't," he whispered in her ear.

She slowly looked up at him and asked, "You knew?" He smiled and said, "You were wearing the locket I gave you." "You won't tell anyone, will you?" she asked. He kissed her again and said, "Only if you let me build stuff for you." She smiled and kissed him back saying, "Deal."

**Chapter 10**

Lightning flashed as the clock tower struck midnight. Gotham was always livelier after the sun went down. The different lights illuminating the city in an almost spectacular fashion making it glow. Yet one light was aimed at the sky, as if it was calling someone. The seconds seem to crawl as a man waited next to the light.

This man was in his late sixties, his hair gray with age. He pulled his trench coat tighter around him as a cold wind began to blow. This man was Commissioner Jim Gordon. "Where are you?" he asked more to himself then out loud. The sound of the roof door opening drew his attention away from the night sky.

"You're going to freeze to death up here dad," a young woman said walking up beside him. "Only if you didn't bring any coffee I will, Barbara," he quipped. She handed him a cup and smiled. "Like I would forget," she said. "Thanks," he said before taking a drink.

A strange silence fell across the roof as lightning flashed again. Barbara looked at her dad as she asked, "Do you think he'll show?" "It depends, what bat you're waiting on?" came a voice from behind them. It was reflex that Gordon drew his side arm as he turned. "Who's there?" he called out drawing his pistol.

Barbara touched her dads sleeve and pointed at the roof door. Standing in front of the door was a masked figure about 6' tall. "Batman?" he asked lowering his pistol. "Went down fighting in the Arkham riot a year and a half ago," the figure said walking forward. "You're a woman?" Barbara asked. 

"Yes, my name is Batgirl," the figure said handing Jim a manila envelope, "I was to give this to you should anything happen to him." Lightning flashed for a second to illuminate the figure. He noticed the similarities in her costume to Batman's, but Batgirl's looked more flexible. "Why are you getting this to me now?" he asked looking at the envelope. "I've been busy," was her only reply as she turned and walked away.

Barbara watched her dad slowly open the envelope to find a CD with the words 'For Jim Gordon only. Listen to then Destroy' written on it. He looked up to thank her but found she had vanished. _Why is it that I'm not surprised in the least?_ he thought shaking his head.

Batgirl swung her leg onto the new bike that Kris had made for her and smiled. She flipped a switch on the bike and said, "The package has been delivered." "How did it go?" Kris asked over the radio. "He was surprised to see a woman, but it should answer some questions. Now, about this bike?" she replied as she turned the engine one. It came to life with a low hum as Kris said, "Its run on a vacuum-ion drive. So, don't worry about having enough gas to take someone down."

"Ok, but why design it like a crouch-rocket?" she asked. "Better aerodynamics and I always wonder how you would look on one," he remarked. She smiled as she said, "I'll show you if you're nice." She heard him swallow as gun fire ripped threw the night. "Back to work," she said as she revved the engine.

"Not until you promise me something," Kris said as the bike shut off. "I'll be alright," she said trying to restart the engine. "Actually, I was talking about marrying me," he said. _Not fair,_ she thought as tears started to well up in her eyes. "Cassie? You ok?" he asked worried. She wiped the tears away and said, "I'm ok. and yes, I'll marry you."

Kris let out a whoop of happiness then started laughing. "I should have waited till you were here in person,' he said as the bike came back online. Cassie quickly swung the bike around and took off after the source of the shots. "Yes, you should've," she replied as she came across three squad cars in pursuit of a red car. The cops followed the car around a corner and barely stopped from colliding with pedestrians.

She hit the brake and slid the bike to a stop in front of a man who hade stopped to watch the chase. "Nice bike sexy," he said smiling. She looked at the man and smiled as she saw it was Kris. She grabbed his shirt and kissed him with all the love in her heart. "You're sexy too," she said smiling. He gasped as she groped him before rejoining the chase.

"I will get even," he said with a not of amusement in his voice. "I'm looking forward to it," she quipped smiling.

**End**


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